In general, it is desirable to minimize the invasiveness of medical procedures. These medical procedures may include therapeutic or diagnostic medical procedures. Invasive medical procedures are generally more expensive, and there is generally a greater risk of complication and discomfort for the patient. For example, open surgery, for a therapeutic or diagnostic purpose, is an invasive medical procedure with significant attendant risks. Since the performance of open surgery typically requires relatively large incisions, relatively large amounts of blood may be lost, the risk of infection may increase, and the potential for post-operative hernias may be higher. Furthermore, relatively large incisions require extended recovery times to allow the incisions to heal.
Laparoscopic procedures are generally less invasive than open surgery. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a laparoscopic procedure that involves incisions through the skin to access various body organs. For example, PEG may provide access through the skin to the stomach to allow insertion of a feeding tube for feeding patients who cannot ingest food on their own. The incisions, however, may lead to a risk of infection and other negative effects, such as sepsis, which can be caused by leakage of septic fluid contained in the stomach.
Another type of surgical procedure is a transluminal endoscopic surgical procedure, which may allow access to various body organs without having to puncture the skin, which may lead to infection due to exposure to the outside environment. In transluminal endoscopic surgical procedures, an endoscope may be introduced into the body, for example, through a body orifice (e.g., the rectum or mouth). The endoscope is a flexible instrument introduced into the body to access the inside of the body. A light source and a camera may be provided at a distal end (i.e., the end which is inside the body) of the endoscope to direct an image from inside the body to a monitor, or other similar viewing device, positioned outside the body. An endoscopist may use this image to position the distal end of the endoscope at a desired location within the body. Once the endoscope is positioned at a desired work site within the body, the endoscopist may perform any desired therapeutic or diagnostic procedure at the work site.
Exemplary diagnostic procedures that may be performed using an endoscope include, among others, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). EUS-FNA is a diagnostic procedure used to obtain biopsy samples from suspected malignant lymph nodes within the body. In an exemplary EUS-FNA procedure, a distal end of the endoscope is positioned proximate a malignant-appearing lymph node, and the node excited with ultrasound vibrations delivered through the endoscope. Fine needle aspiration is then performed by inserting a needle into the lymph node to collect cytological material therefrom. ERCP is used to diagnose and treat conditions of the bile ducts, such as, gallstones, inflammatory strictures, etc. An endoscope is inserted into the stomach and the distal end positioned proximate the bile duct. Dyes may then be injected into the bile duct so that they may visible on x rays.
In some procedures, the endoscopic instrument may be used to puncture a wall of the stomach or other organ to allow the distal end of the endoscope to advance into the abdominal cavity or other organ where remotely controlled surgical or diagnostic tools may be used to perform desired surgical or diagnostic procedures. In general, for endoscopic procedures, it may be difficult to position the endoscope within a cavity of the body while at the same time being able to manipulate the surgical tools or diagnostic to perform the desired procedures.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.